Even Stranger Things
by ChrisW1999
Summary: This is my first story, based on the series Stranger Things on Netflix. I'm just throwing ideas onto the page, all reviews are welcome. Update rate may be low for the first section, I feel forcing out chapters ruins to quality. Current Favorite chapter to write was Chapter 5.
1. The Dream

It had been several months since El's disappearance and Mike was struggling to accept it. He felt guilty, like he had somehow caused her to go, like he could have saved her. But with the snow ball in a week's time, all his memories and sadness was returning to him and everyone knew it.

"Is everything okay Mike?" his mom asked him every time he walked through the door, to which Mike would turn and give a single nod, before disappearing into his room.

Often times he could be found clutching his radio under the table where she slept.

"Mike!" Dustin shouted as him and Lucas charged down the stairs to the basement. "My mom is taking us to the Movie Theater to watch Ghostbusters!" He announced "Will was busy so we wondered if you wanted to come."

"It's alright man" Mike stammered. "You guys go on ahead, I'm a little tired."

"You're missing El, aren't you?" Lucas murmured, "We miss her too you know, but she's gone now" he explained, sitting on the floor next to Mike, "We can't change that".

"What if we can?" Mike stated "What if she's out there alone like before?" He questioned, looking from Dustin to Lucas, looking for some sign of consolidation.

"Mike" Dustin said putting his hand on Mike's shoulder "We saw her disappear with the demogorgon" he pointed out, looking towards his feet, "She's not coming back"

"Come with us Mike" Lucas Insisted. "It will help you feel better."

"Alright you two just let me get my jacket" Mike conceded. "But don't spoil this one!" he complained begrudgingly.

"Oh come on, you must have guessed he was Luke's dad!" Dustin complained. "We'll be outside" Dustin noted as him and Lucas stampeded up to the kitchen. "Don't take too long!" he shouted behind him at the top of the stairs.

As Mike got up from El's den he shook his head, hoping to get rid of the constant sound of her final words. He trembled over to his jacket where he removed his jacket from under a packet of Eggos.

"Eggos..." He muttered to himself, "Why does it have to be Eggos?" Mike complained, his mind filled with memories of El once again.

Composing himself, he climbed out of the basement heading straight to the door.

"No turning back!" He told himself, "This is how it is!"

He continued onward, leaving all his memories behind. He stepped out into the open air and felt freedom he hadn't felt in a long time.

"You coming or what?" Dustin shouted over from the car, gesturing to his watch.

"I'm right here Dustin! Chill!" Mike shouted back, he just couldn't shake the feeling of guilt.

As Mike looked back at the house one more time, he took in a deep breath and prepared for the worst.

Time passed by and Mike could feel his head crying in pain from the emotions he felt. He missed her more than anything, her voice (quite a lot for how little he heard of it), her smile and even her powerful superhuman side, which honestly terrified Mike, but he would never tell her or anyone else that.

He spent hours contemplating, misunderstanding where he went wrong. Why did it have to happen to him?

Arriving home, he heard his friends call behind him from the car as it pulled away.

"See you tomorrow Mike!"

Mike just had time to turn and nod before they sped off down the moonlit road.

As Mike walked into his hall, everything was so quiet. His parents had gone to bed and he felt even more alone than before. His breath felt heavy as he tiptoed up the staircase. He collapsed onto his bed and his eyes shut instantly sending him in for a long sleep.

"Mike..." a unknown voice calls softly, "Mike are you there?"

Mikes eyes suddenly flutter open, but something wasn't right, this wasn't his room, this wasn't anywhere. There was just darkness as far as the eye could see.

"Please Mike..." The voice called again and Mike snapped to attention.

"Who are you?" Mike queried outwardly, "Who am I speaking to?"

"Mike..." the voice calls once again from far away, to which Mike turned to see a similar sized silhouette to his own looking lost.

"Please help me..." the voice says, "Please Mike..."

Mike's eyes widened all of a sudden as the figure turns and makes eye contact with him. Could it be? How is it possible? So many questions floating around his head.

He stutters as he tries to speak, trying to say one word and one word only.

He looks into the figures eyes, almost forgetting to blink and trying not to break into tears as he says...

"El..."

She stepped forward revealing her face to him, beaten and bruised. Mike stared at her horrified as his heart rate spiked so high he sprung up out of bed and El was gone, he was alone again.


	2. The First Encounter

It was 5am when Mike managed to get back to sleep but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get back to her, but something in his mind knew it was more than a nightmare, it was her, it must have been.

Only an hour after he got to sleep, Mike's alarm went off. Waking Mike up in a dazed state, but soon enough he remembered his dream, he knew what he saw, El in that state asking for help. El was in trouble and needed his help, but he didn't know what to do about it.

Soon enough, Mike heard his mom calling his name.

"Time to go to school" his mom called from the stairs, he could hear each step as she climbed up.

Mike had to act fast, he ran the bathroom and covered his face in hot water, then ran back to his bed just in time for his mom to walk in to the bedroom and see him lay in bed.

"Oh Mike, are you okay?" Mrs Wheeler questioned with concern in her eyes.

"Not really" Mike stuttered as convincingly as he could. "I don't feel too good".

"Do you think you'll be able to go to school?" She asked, putting her hand on Mike's forehead. "Your head so warm, you're sweating!" She squealed.

"I don't know" he whined, adding a few coughs for effect. "It hurts to move."

"Alright" Mike's mom said "I guess you could stay home as long as you catch up tomorrow." Mike added a few coughs to seal the deal.

"Thanks mom." He said, stuttering as he spoke.

"See you soon." Mrs Wheeler said to Mike as she left his room, closing the door behind her.

Mike paused, waiting until his mom left the house. He suddenly heard the bang of the door closing and instantly jumped out of bed and ran down to the basement.

In the basement, Mike grabbed his bike and set off into the forest, he couldn't get any help, he didn't have time. Mike knew El was in trouble and he was the only one who could help her.

As Mike passed by tree after tree, he would turn and look from side to side, looking for anything more than greenery.

Hours passed by and nothing, he knew his mom would be home soon and he needed to turn back. So he got of his bike and turned it round after one last look over his surroundings.

Suddenly Mike heard a deafening screech, he instantly recognised the sound, he remembered the last time he heard it, it was the scream El let out when she killed the Demogorgon and he knew it.

Mike ran straight into the woods, dropping his bike behind him, heading straight for the sound.

It took minutes to find the source of the sound, but what Mike saw horrified him. Lying there on the ground was a deer covered head to toe in blood, He looked up and around for what could have done this.

"What could have done this to such a helpless creature?" He muttered under his breath, was El here, did she see, was all Mike could think about.

Without warning, Mikes head snapped to look towards something he saw out of the corner of his eye. He saw a black figure, larger than any man, almost phantom-like, drift into the earth below. It was back.

In moments, Mike was sprinting back to his bike, to which he mounted and rushed home as fast as he could. It was alive. The Demogorgon wasn't dead. But how was that possible. Mike had watched El tear it to pieces. All questions for a later time, right now mike needed to get home.

He pulled up onto his driveway to see his moms car sitting there, back from work. Mike ran around to the backdoor, hoping he could sneak in un-noticed. He crept up the stairs and into his room, to find his mom sat on his bed.

"And where have you been?" She question him, staring so intensely he could feel it like daggers.

"I - I went into school at lunch" Mike stammered, trying his best to explain his absence.

"Are you feeling better now then?" she asked him

"Yeah, I'm fine" Mike responded, running down the stairs, closing the basement door behind him.

Mike, catching his breath, grabbed his radio and called out to his friend.

"Guys, get over here." Mike spoke into the radio, breathing heavily, "Something happened. Over"

"Mike, calm down!" Dustin's voice came out from the radio, "I'll round everyone up, we'll be there soon. Over"


	3. The Confrontation

Minutes felt like hours as Mike waited by the backdoor to the basement. They couldn't be long now right. Mike was still struggling to process what had happened: The voice; the scream; the deer; the Demogorgon. It was all too much for such a short amount of time.

Mike's thoughts were cut short by the slam of the door as it swung open and standing in the doorway were a few familiar faces.

"Dustin! Lucas! Will!" Mike shouted, "You're all here!"

"Of course we are" Lucas responded, "Dustin said something's wrong, what's up?"

"The Demogorgon" Mike stammered, "It's back. It's alive."

"How is that possible?" Will questioned, "You said Eleven turned it to dust."

"She did, we saw it, but that doesn't matter" Dustin stated. "Mike, what happened?"

"I heard her, I heard El." Mike stuttered, "I followed the voice, there was a scream and then... I don't know"

"What about the Demogorgon?" Dustin asked

"It was there, I saw it." Mike stated gathering his thoughts, "In the forest, back near Hawkins Lab."

Dustin's eyes widened as him and Mike turned towards Lucas and Will.

"We're going after it aren't we?" Lucas asked Mike.

"We have to" Mike responded.

Will's heart sank inside him. Out of everyone, he had the most trauma derived from the Demogorgon. But he couldn't back out, he had to help his friends. He was the one who had been to the upside down, he knew things they didn't.

"It's getting dark" Will spurted out, "If we want to find it, our best chance is now"

"Will's right" Mike said, "Let's get going"

Mike grabbed his bike from the front yard and they all set off into the forest.

They had been looking and shouting for hours with no results. Everyone was getting tired and Mike was losing hope.

"There's too many trees," Lucas stated, "we'll never find it!"

"Maybe we don't have too," Dustin suggested "It's attracted to blood right..."

"Yes... why?" Mike stammered, as he watched Dustin reach down to a thorn bush.

"This" Dustin said, pricking his finger on a thorn.

"That's never going to work in a million -" Lucas was cut off by a terrifying sound they knew all too well, the screech of the Demogorgon.

"It's coming!" Mike exclaimed.

"Where is it?" Will asked, Terrified, "I don't see it"

"It's close" Mike shouted, "Be careful"

"There!" Dustin pointed into the darkness

The three boys turned into the direction Dustin was pointing to see a black silhouette crawl out from the ground.

"Run!" Lucas shouted

All four boys ran for their lives, they hadn't thought about what to do if they found the Demogorgon.

"Stop!" Will screamed, as he gathered himself together.

"Will, what are you doing?" Dustin questioned, hesitantly, "We have got to go"

"No" Will said, "We don't"

Will turned towards the Demogorgon, he was still terrified but he knew what he had to do.

The Demogorgon was coming closer and closer, Will was ready, but he'd never done it before on this scale. He was focused and this was his chance.

The Demogorgon was feet away now. Will began to concentrate. He closed his eyes and tried his best to protect his friends.

The sound of running stopped, it must have worked, Will opened his eyes, hoping to see his friends alive and well with no Demogorgon.

Will was wrong.

He opened his eyes to see the Demogorgon stood still. Turning to the side Will saw the monsters arm swinging around and slamming into him.

Mike watched in horror as Will's lifeless body was thrown through the air like a ragdoll into a nearby tree.

"Will!" He screamed it terror.

The Demogorgon turned towards him and crawled forwards as if stalking him.

It reared back on its hind legs right in front of Mike and raised its arm to strike. Mike closed his eyes and held his breath, waiting for impact.

Suddenly Mike heard an awful screech. His eyes swung open to see the Demogorgon collapse in pain as Sunlight trickled over the horizon and hit its body.

"It doesn't like direct sunlight" Mike concluded, turning to his friends smiling. But what he heard next made him freeze.

An awful scream erupted from the body of the Demogorgon, It was her, it was El's scream. Mike turned in horror towards the creature as it turned and retreated into the ground from which it came from. Mike tried processing what just happen but he just couldn't.

"Will!" Lucas realised and they all ran over to Will's body.

"Stay with us Will," Mike pleaded "Come on."

Mike prepared for the worst.


	4. Coffee and Contemplation

Will's eyes fluttered open to see all his friends kneeling over him.

"What happened?" Will asked, dazed.

"The Demogorgon attacked you" Dustin stated "What were you thinking?"

"I don't know, I just wanted to help" Will said

"Do it without getting yourself killed then" Lucas said

"It doesn't matter," Mike stated, "We need to get back to the basement"

The four boys ran back to their bikes and headed back to the basement.

"It was her, I know it" Mike complained pacing around the room.

"No Mike, did you not see that thing?" Lucas snapped "That was the Demogorgon, and you're just too blind to see it because you want your little girlfriend back"

"He's got a point you know," Dustin added turning to Will, "Not to mention it almost killed Will"

"I'm fine guys, Seriously" Will pushed.

"Did you not hear her scream?" Mike interrogated.

"There was no scream" Lucas responded. "You're hearing things"

"No, It was her and I know it" Mike retaliated

Will looked on from the background, studying Mike's panic, he believed Mike's story, he had heard the scream too, but he couldn't risk the others going back out there and getting hurt. He had to face this demon alone, to spare Mike and to get rid of the Demogorgon once and for all.

"We have to get home," Lucas pointed out, breaking Will's train of thought, "Before our parents wake up"

"Alright, I'll see you all in school" Mike said to them as they left out the back door.

Just as everyone was leaving, Mike turned around to see Will still stood inside.

"You ok?" Mike asked him.

"Yeah, just a bit shaken from before" Will responded.

"What on earth were you thinking?" Mike questioned.

"I can... Do things" Will muttered, "I can fix this and I know it"

"What are you talking about?" Mike interrogated.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter" Will quickly said before escaping out of the door.

"See you in school!" Mike shouted after him.

School pass by so quickly as Mike sat, thinking so deeply about what he saw of El, beaten and bruised. He was so impatient to gather everyone together and make a plan to save her. He knew he heard her, they had to go back to the woods.

At lunch Mike met Lucas and Dustin while Will was studying in the library, Lucas had a suspicious look on his face.

"What's up with you?" Mike asked him.

"Something doesn't feel right" Lucas questioned, "Did you go back out after we left?"

Mike looked at the ground as Lucas sighed.

"I only went back to check if it came back, I couldn't find it" Mike explained.

"Good" Lucas said "It would have killed you."

Will was sat twiddling his pen, sat down at a library table he had to practice before he confronted the Demogorgon again.

He clutched his pen as tightly as possible and focused and... and... Nothing. He couldn't do it, why couldn't he do it, he know he was able to. He had to get this right for his friends.

He closed his eyes, slowed his heart rate and held his mindset, he must do this, his last encounter with the Demogorgon flashed before him as he felt the world around him go cold, he open his eyes slowly to see he was back, back in the upside down. He closed his eyes once more, feeling his body warm up again, he'd done it, he managed to control his newfound power.

He couldn't tell the others, they wouldn't understand and it would put them in more danger.

It was 7pm when everyone showed up, Dustin, Lucas and -

"Will?" Mike questioned, "Where's Will?"

"Haven't seen him since school" Dustin said, a shake in his voice.

"Oh no" Mike stammered, realising what Will had meant "He said something about him fixing something."

"What does that even mean?" Lucas asked

"I don't know" Mike replied, trying to remember exactly what Will said, "He said he could do things?"

"Maybe he blames himself for the Demogorgon coming after us" Lucas suggested, "He must have gone after it"

"Awww shit" Dustin said

"He wouldn't go alone would he?" Lucas asked.

"I'm not sure" Mike shakily said, "We need to go after him."


	5. Gaining Control

"I'm heading over to Mike's, Mom" Will shouted as he walked out the front door, however he knew that he wouldn't be going to Mike's today, he had a responsibility.

Will mounted his bike and set off along the beaten track, his eyes set forward through the split of the trees, he was heading directly to Mirkwood. The Demogorgon would be there and he knew it.

If Mike was right about Eleven, he knew he needed to at least try. As he rode along, he kept closing his eyes whenever possible and trying to bring out his power, he tried and tried and tried but couldn't retain the upside down any longer than a second, he needed to try harder, he needed some kind of hook to keep him in control.

Unless maybe that wasn't what he needed. What if he couldn't hold control because he already has a hook to his own universe? What if he had to remove his real world connections? It was possible. He needed to at least try.

It wasn't too long until he was there, he was at Mirkwood. Will began walking down the road but he didn't need to look, He didn't want to say earlier but he could sense the Demogorgon, and it was close, but he had to pull the Demogorgon back to the upside down for this to work.

Before he could do anymore thinking, he spotted it, the Demogorgon, through the trees. It turned directly towards him, as if sensing his presence. It started walking towards Will but he needed to lure it into the upside down.

Will had to think. How can he lose his connections? How can he make new connections? As the Demogorgon pushed closer and closer, Will concentrated and began trying all he could

"I'm not afraid of you!" Will shouted, lying through his teeth. "I've been to the upside down and it gave me abilities!"

Suddenly, the world around flickered for a second, everything covered in webbing and moss, fog all through the atmosphere, the Demogorgon still looming over him. As fast as it happened the first time, the world flickered once more and he was back facing the Demogorgon in the forest near Mirkwood. Maybe it's about thinking about being in the upside down.

"I'm not supposed to be in this dimension!" He shouted.

Nothing.

"I am not supposed to be in this dimension!" He shouted once more.

Nothing happened. Maybe it's not that. What is the difference between the two? The second one was a lie. Could that be it?

"I survived a week in the upside down!" Will shouted as the Demogorgon crept closer and closer, so much so he had to start walking backwards as he struggled

Nothing happened once again. What could it be?

"Wait, I have an idea of what it could be" Will muttered to himself.

He concentrated, his eyes fixed on the Demogorgon, which was getting even closer.

"I am afraid of being buried alive!" He called out, a secret he has never told anyone, he spoke as if speaking to the world itself.

Sure enough, The world flickered to the upside down, but it didn't hold. However Will now knew how to do it. Secrets were the key and he had many. But he needed something big and to make matters worse, he'd reached the quarry, he couldn't move back any further. The Demogorgon reared up and rose it's arm to strike

"Not this time" Will shouted at it, "I love Mike" he cried out, almost bursting into tears.

Everything around him flickered and flashed until it became misty and dark, it didn't change back, he'd managed it, but he was never saying that ever again.

Will didn't have time to congratulate himself, the Demogorgon was still seconds away from knocking him down and this time he might not get off so lucky. Will held both his hands out in front of him and held his breath, he couldn't let this go on, he had to help his friends, he had to help Mike.

Will let out a screech as the Demogorgon froze in place. All of a sudden, streamed of yellow light erupted from the creatures body as it roared in pain, but the roars were drowned out by the terrifying sound Will was making as the creature burst out hundreds of beams of light from its body, like bullets fired from a gun, the surroundings now covered in splodges of yellow, similar to that of a disco ball. It was mesmerising, but it didn't last long, in one final roar the yellow light tore the Demogorgon to pieces everything went dark once more.

Will began waking up from his trance like state, his eyes fluttering and his head aching he collapsed to his knee. He'd done it, he was safe.

Without warning, the moss covered ground began to shudder and shake beneath him, he looked around for any kind of cause, it was if the ground was moving itself. Mounds began sprouting up out the ground. Trees grew so much the roots exploded from the ground like tentacles. To top it all off, an almighty cry came from what seemed like the ground itself, echoing through the baron quarry. It was as if the upside down was a living being, waking up in anger.

In a daze, Will looked around until he noticed what he'd done. Will moved over to were the Demogorgon stood and knelt down the side of what was left. The body of a girl, hunched over on the floor. Her body was cold and white. He'd never met her before but he instantly knew who she was. It was Eleven.

Will suddenly felt an overwhelming loss of energy and collapsed to the ground holding Eleven's body. The world went black and he lost consciousness.


	6. Hunting Byres

"Will!" Mike's shouts echoed through the forest. "Will!"

"Will Byres!" Dustin's voice joined along.

"Come out Will!" Lucas' voice joined in the shouting.

The boys pushed on through the trees and greenery, shouting for Will at the top of their voice. He couldn't be far.

Dustin was just in front of the party searching the front while Lucas and Mike covered the sides.

"Watch your step, we've reached the quarry" Dustin called from up ahead.

"No" Mike muttered, "That can't be"

"Will!" Dustin shouted at the top of his lungs into the quarry, his voice echoing off every side.

"Where on earth is he?" Lucas asked generally.

"God damn it!" Mike shouted, throwing an huge and oddly shape stone over the edge of the quarry as far as he could.

Mike put his head in his hands and growled in struggle, it was still dark and there was no one in sight.

"Maybe he was just ill" Lucas suggested, maybe he just stayed home, "We should head back"

Mike had missed something, he could feel it, but what is it? What did he miss?

"Alright, let's go" Dustin agreed.

The three of them turned around and started heading back, but Mike still felt there was something wrong.

Suddenly it clicked.

"The water!" Mike blurted out, realising what was bugging him. He ran back as fast as he could to the edge of the cliff, Lucas and Dustin following behind.

"What are you talking about?" Lucas questioned.

"Think about everything that just happened" Mike turned to them and said, getting only blank faces "The shout, then the stone"

"What about it?" Dustin asked.

"You shouted into the quarry right," Mike asked, "and it echoed like a giant amplifier"

"So?" Dustin said, confused.

"I threw a stone right down the middle," Mike said, "What didn't you hear?"

"You've lost me," Dustin said.

"A splash" Mike answered his own question, "There's water at the bottom of the quarry, and with the echo that thing gave, we should have heard a splash!"

All three boys turned towards the quarry, There was no disturbance to the water and no stone in sight.

Mike looked around looking for any signs of the stone.

"There!" Mike pointed direct at what looked to be the same odd stone sitting at the top of the quarry, but how?

Mike thought for a second, he'd seen this happen before, but more importantly he remembered why it happened, It had been El, was this a message?

He began to survey the rim of the quarry. She's here, she has to be.

Out of the corner of his eye, Mike spotted a splash of pink in the midst of the bushes. He prayed and hoped as he lead the party around the quarry to find any evidence he could El was still around, he was getting desperate. So much so, he lost his footing on the way around.

"Shit!" Lucas shouted as he watched Mike clutch onto an outstretched rock, dangling over the deadly drop below.

Both Lucas and Dustin ran as fast as they could to help. They each grabbed an arm but in that moment, after searching for Will for what felt like hours, Mike was feeling heavier and heavier by the second.

Mike closed his eyes and prayed for a miracle to save him, though he knew what was coming, he had seen his friends struggling to hold on.

Suddenly, Dustin and Lucas felt a change. They felt Mike's body getting lighter and lighter. They took a few second to piece it together. They both put all their effort into pulling Mike back up to safety.

Mike managed to scramble his way up onto the top of the quarry wall, taking long and deep breaths. He tilted his head up to see his Miracle.

"Guys" Mike said, gesturing between them.

Both Lucas and Dustin turned to look behind them. There, standing in the shadow of the night, was Eleven. She looked weak and drained, on the brink of collapsing.

"El!" Mike shouted, standing up and running over to her. "What happened? Are you okay? Where did you go?"

"I - I don't know" El stuttered, struggling for breath.

El thought back to her perspective of everything, she remembered everything going hazy as she tore the Demogorgon to pieces. After that, all she can remember is little pieces of dreams, or at least what she thought were dreams, she tried and tried to contact Mike using her powers, but she always seemed to be fighting an evil she could feel corrupting her mind, the remnants of the Demogorgon, holding her prisoner, using her body as a host while she watched helplessly.

What felt like weeks passed and she just couldn't fight it anymore, everything went dark and the next thing she could remember was waking up in the middle of the forest, lying next to Will, drained of all her energy.

"How did you get back?" Mike asked her, pulling her out of her endless thoughts.

El grabbed Mike's arm and gestured to Lucas and Dustin to follow. They walk only a few seconds, just behind a few bushes, where El let go of Mike's and pointed to Will's body lay on the ground.

"Will brought you back?" Mike asked, to which El slowly nodded.

"Is he - Is he dead?" Lucas questions, stumbling on his words.

"Resting" El said, smiling.

"What should we do?" Lucas asked.

"We need to get him somewhere safe" Dustin suggested.

"How far is Castle Byres from here?" Mike asked.

"Not too far," Dustin replied, "A 5 minute walk maybe?"

"Right, You grab his legs" Mike suggested, "I'll get his arms"

"Okay, Let's get going" Dustin said as they lifted Will's body and set off into the woods.


	7. The Castle

Mike had waited for Will a long time, sat outside the fort, with El sat across from him, while Dustin and Lucas stayed by Will's side. Mike looked up at El and smiled at her.

"I missed you." Mike told her "So much"

"I missed you too" El responded, smiling back at him.

"Where have you been?" He asked her.

"Demogorgon" She said, looking towards the ground. "I am Sorry"

"No, no" Mike said, grinning and holding El's shoulders, "It's not your fault, You're here now."

Eleven looked up at Mike, feeling warm and protected by his side. She reached out forward and hugged him like she never wanted to let go. She remembered the last time she was this close to Mike. It was back at the school, before the Demogorgon took her. Sat at the table, when he did that thing, whatever it was, when he pushed his mouth onto hers. El didn't understand what it was, but he knew it was what you do to people who you like more than a friend.

She liked Mike more than a friend. A lot more than a friend. She needed to show him that.

El moved back from Mike and leaned in towards Mike. He did the same, knowing what was about to happen. They moved closer and closer towards each other, their lips about to touch.

"Guys!" Dustin shouted, bursting out of the fort just in time to see Mike and El lurch backwards.

"What's wrong?" Mike asked, clearly unhappy they had been interrupted.

"It's Will!" Dustin anxiously said, "He doesn't have a pulse!"

Both Mike and Eleven turned to face each other with a panicked look and they both ran into the fort.

El looked on with a look Mike had seen before, it was the look she had given him the first day they met, when he had tried to close the bathroom door. It was fear.

Mike tried every point his Mom had shown him to take a pulse but he felt nothing. The boys started to fall into tears but all El was thinking was any way she could help, any way she could save Will's life the way he had saved hers.

"No" El muttered.

"What?" Mike asked, turning towards Her.

"Move" She replied, kneeling beside Will's body.

Mike watched in awe as El closed her eyes and held her hands out in front of her, one on top of the other. She began to breathe deeply as she focused on the searing burning she felt in the centre of her palm.

Mike watched intensely as El's hands started to glow and, to his amazement, he wasn't scared, he trusted her fully. He waited patiently, hoping somehow she could save him.

After a few seconds, Eleven opened her eyes, afraid of what she'd see. She turned to Mike.

"What happened?" He asked impatiently.

"I - I don't know" El responded, lowering her gaze to the ground. Everyone was silent, no one could speak.

El's head sprang up as she heard a cough from Will's body, just as he sprang up as if he'd had a horrible nightmare.

"Oh my god!" Mike exclaimed, "Will, are you okay?

"What?" Will said in a dazed voice, "Where are we?"

"We're in Castle Byres" Mike responded, "You're safe now"

"No..." Will stated, snapping into awareness to look into Mike's eyes, panicked "We're not safe at all"

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked.

"It's alive. I saw it. I heard it." Will stammered, not losing eye contact with Mike.

"Yes, The Demogorgon, we saw it too" Mike said, trying to calm Will down.

"No, you're not listening" Will said frustrated, pointing towards Eleven "She was the Demogorgon"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Dustin said, "She was the Demogorgon?"

"Is it true El?" Mike asked, to which El could only nod before will cut in.

"That doesn't matter!" Will shouted "It's alive! The upside down is alive and it's coming for us!"

"How is that possible?" Mike asked

"I don't know" Will complained "Please believe me"

"We do" Mike said calmly. "We just want to know what's going on"

"I don't know" Will stuttered, "But we need to - We need to -"

Will collapsed.

"If what he says is true, We need to do something" Mike concluded, "But first we should get him home"

"This is getting ridiculous" Dustin complained, "We've had no sleep for two nights in a row"

"Get some sleep in English then" Mike suggested, "But after school, we've got work to do"

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked, curiously

"Well if the Upside Down is alive, it's only way through is to use the doorway at Hawkins Lab, right?" Mike asked.

"You're saying we should try to close it" Dustin asked, doubtful "Do you know how much energy that would take?"

"She could do it" Mike said turning to Eleven, "Couldn't you?"

Eleven just looked at Mike and shrugged, however inside she feared the consequences it would have.

"We have to try," Mike said turning back to Dustin, "It's the only way."


End file.
